WARNING BUOYED – A balloon at the approximate height of the blade tip of the proposed Cape Cod Community College wind turbine floats opposite a weather vane atop a Route 6A home in West Barnstable.

Balloon marks height of college’s proposed wind tower

A light breeze kept the weather balloon at Cape Cod Community College slightly off a straight up and down line earlier this week, but it was possible to catch sight of the marker for the college’s proposed wind turbine from several locations in West Barnstable.

At the YMCA across Route 132, the red balloon, which marked the approximate height of the turbine rotor blade at the top of its spin, and a ribbon lower down indicating the top of the boxy nacelle were visible above the tree line.

Driving west on Route 6A, one could look up the driveway to the west of the old Ojala Farm stand and see the balloon bobbing along opposite a weather vane atop a house on the hillside.

Paul Vecchi, who owns several properties in the area, took a break from running a front-end loader (he’s rebuilding a barn with a stone foundation) to talk about the proposed turbine. He likes the idea of wind power, he said, but would have preferred the tower being built at the first location proposed, closer to Route 6.

The Barnstable Old King’s Highway Historic District Committee is reviewing the proposal and plans to meet on the matter again in January or February.